Graduation Day
by Susan MacCalastry
Summary: Graduation Day is the classic love triangle with a couple of twists.
1. Chapter 1

It was a sunny spring Thursday, and the AHC campus was buzzing. Everyone was ready for school to get out, especially the graduating seniors. Finally it was eleven o'clock, time for class to get out. Nickole was staring at the clock, through her bright red hair, like she had for the last ten minutes of her Spanish III class; Sra. Ramirez had just begun to give them their homework assignment. The whole class was looking forward to the weekend. There were many great high school-level teachers at AHC. There was Sra. Ramirez the Spanish teacher, Mrs. Brown the writing teacher, Mrs. Stewart the science teacher, Mr. Holt the math teacher, and many others. When Sra. Ramirez had dismissed them, Nickole left the classroom in a rush to get to study hall. On her way she met up with one of her friends, Ann. Nickole and Ann had been friends since freshman year; they were always hanging out together at AHC. Nickole walked over to where Ann was sitting. "Hey, Ann,"

"Hey, how's it going?" Ann greeted her as she pulled back her long brown hair.

"Not bad. We had a massive grammar test in Spanish today. It had 150 questions!"

"Whoa, I'm glad I was late, but I guess I'll have to do a make-up test...arg."

"Why were you so late?"

"Well, about seven-thirty last night, I realized that I still had about 100 pages left to read before Mrs. Brown's class this morning. So I ended up pulling an all-nighter to keep from failing the test this afternoon."

"You really need to work on keeping up with your homework."

"I know, I know, but anyway...how are things with you and Don? You two are dating, right?"

"No, where did you get that from? We are just friend…best friends"

"That's not what the rumors are around campus, and don't get me wrong, I don't normally listen to those things, but this one grabbed my attention" Ann explained.

"Don't worry about it." Nickole assured her "Thanks for telling me?"

AHC, Academic Homeschooling Classes, was an association of teachers and parents working together to educate homeschooled students. At AHC you could take anything from biology to drama. The classes only met twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursday s. There were over one-hundred students on the small campus. It only had three buildings. One was divided in to three small rooms for study hall and Mrs. Brown's classroom. Another was used for many different classes including math, Spanish, and science. The last building was where Mrs. Bradley's office was and there was a large sanctuary that was used for the drama classes. Nickole and Ann headed around the corner toward the portable building in which study hall was held. They passed the old picnic table under the large pear tree where there was a group of gossiping girls. Lisa, Rebecca, and Morgan were too busy giggling over the latest "news" that they didn't notice Nickole and Ann walk by. This didn't bother Nickole one bit. Study hall was full of teens that were coming from and going to classes. The girls sat down in two of the empty seats around a large table which took up most of the tiny room. For Nickole, study hall was the best part of her day. Just as Nickole began getting out her notebook to show Ann what she had missed in Spanish class, a tall boy came in. He had light brown hair hidden underneath a baseball hat with the fire department's seal on it. His name was Eddie. Eddie walked over to them and took the seat next to Nickole.

"Hey there, Nickole," Eddie greeted her loudly. He didn't even seem to care or even notice that Ann was there. Eddie and Nickole have known each other for the last five years, and Eddie had been in love with her since. The problem was that she didn't like him. In fact she actually thought he was a little strange, but their parents were friends, so she had to be nice to him. He had practically devoted his life to trying to getting her attention, but she had always just viewed him as a friend. Today was no different.

"Hi, Eddie," Nickole replied, not looking up.

"So, what are you guys doing?"

"We're trying to get Ann caught up in Spanish. She missed class this morning."

"Oh, well I was hoping maybe you and I could do something later tonight. Maybe we could catch a movie or something; how about it?"

"Umm...I don't know Ann, Don, and I are going to hang out tonight. You could come with us if you want." Nickole suggested. Ann cleared her throat ever so softly.

"Yeah, maybe I will. What are you guys going to be doing?"

At this point Ann jumped in, "We were going to come over to my house and watch some old horror films. We've been doing it about once a month or something like that. I think Dracula is next."

"That sounds like fun." Eddie said, and he glanced down at his watch.

"Yeah, especially if you like horror flicks." Ann continued.

"Oh, man!" Nickole noticed Eddie looking at his watch. "What time is it?"

"Don't worry; it's only 11:30. We don't have class for another thirty minutes."

"Good, because we still need to get you caught up with Spanish." Nickole said relieved turning back to Ann.

They spent a few minutes reviewing the Spanish homework and going over vocabulary while Eddie sat near by watching them. A few minutes later the door opened and a dark-headed boy named Don came in and swinging his backpack off his shoulder he took the seat across from Nickole. Don and Nickole had known each other ever since they were kids, and now, in there senior year of high school, they are still great friends. Don, like Eddie, had always liked Nickole, but was always to shy to tell her. The difference was that she liked him too, and was also to shy to tell him. As Don sat down Eddie looked over at him. The look he gave Don was not exactly a friendly look. "Hey guys," he said as he looked over at Nickole.

"Hi, Don" Nickole responded with a smile.

Ann also greeted him, "What's up?" There was no response from Eddie, who now sat glaring at the table.

"So are we still on for the movie tonight? It's Dracula, right?" Don asked.

"Yep, I figured we'd head over to my place after class." Ann answered excitedly.

"And, Eddie's going to be coming over too," Nickole added. She looked over at Don whose face was blank; then he raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it," Eddie cut in before Don could utter a response to this news.

"Uh...so, Ann, where were you this morning? I didn't see you in Spanish." Don asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I was late, really late."

"Oh," He turned to Nickole, "so, Nickole, what did you think of that unbelievable grammar test?"

"I thought it was really tough, even for Sra. Ramirez."

"I need to study for that too!" Ann muttered turning to the grammar section of her notebook.

"No time now," Don said looking his watch, "It's time for us to go to Government."

3


	2. Chapter 2

The Government class was long and hard. When they walked into the classroom, Mrs. Brown handed them the three quizzes of the day, and they got to work. When they had finished the quizzes, Mrs. Brown started the lecture part of the class. It now became difficult for the students to stay awake. The classroom was cold and the students were tired. Nickole had to nudge Ann several times before Mrs. Brown finished her lecture and handed them their syllabuses. Once they were out of Government, they all piled into Nickole's white Toyota and left the campus and headed over to Ann's house. The ride over was full of nothing but stop signs, traffic lights, and awkward silence. Nickole was driving, Don was riding shot-gun, and Ann, to her dismay, was sitting in the back with Eddie. When they got to Ann's house they took some Cokes, that Nickole had bought earlier, out of the trunk, "We might not want to open these for a little while," Don commented; everyone laughed. Then they went up stairs to the game room. The room had a long couch right across from the TV; this was perfect for group movie nights. While Ann was down stairs popping the pop-corn, Nickole started the movie.

"Who wants pop-corn?" Ann asked as she came in the room with two large bowls of Act II pop-corn. Everybody just looked at her. "Right," Ann said shaking her head, "stupid question, I know."

"Eddie, have you ever seen any of these old horror flicks before?" asked Nickole,

"I can't say that I have. Why?"

"Well, let me warn you, they're cheesy."

"That's an understatement," Don said as he grabbed a big handful of pop-corn.

Ann laughed "An understatement is when you say Yao Ming is kinda tall. That was an _under_-understatement." She corrected Don.

"Okay, okay," Nickole began, "They're extremely cheesy!"

As they watched the movie Nickole noticed that the guys were acting very weird. Like, during the more romantic parts, at least as romantic as horror movies get, Don moved a little closer to her, and so did Eddie. Ann, who was sitting in a brightly colored arm chair, did not see a thing. Feeling a little too crowded Nickole got up and announced, "I'm going to the kitchen to pop more pop-corn. Do you want to come with me, Ann?"

"Um...yeah, sure," Ann replied noticing the queue, "While we're down there does anybody want a refill?"

"I'm good" Don answered.

"I'll take some more." Eddie said holding out his cup. Nickole took it from him and walked with Ann down the stairs to the kitchen. Once they were out of earshot of the boys Ann stopped and turned to Nickole.

"What was that about?" she asked with a little laugh.

"Oh, I was just feeling _really_ crowded."

"Are Don and Eddie not giving you enough room on our '_tiny_' couch?" Ann asked in a voice just dripping with sarcasm, because her couch was huge.

"Yeah, something like that," Nickole said as she poured Eddie's coke. Ann reached into the pantry and pulled out a new bag of pop-corn and put it in the microwave. "I don't know, they're just acting very weird today."

"_Don_, is acting weird today..._Eddie_ is always weird."

"True, but you have to admit that today they are both especially weird." Ann said over the loud popping of the pop-corn.

Ann shook her head smiling. "What?" Nickole asked, "Why are you shaking your head?"

"Nothing, never mind,"

"_What_?" she asked more persistently

BEEP!

"OH...good, pop-corn's ready."Ann started, "I wonder if Eddie is enjoying the movie."

They went back up stairs to find the boys sitting on opposite ends of the couch. This, unfortunately, left plenty of room for Nickole to sit in between them. Ann smiled, shook her head at the three of them, and sat down.

When the movie was over, Ann looked back at the couch to see what looked like a Nickole-sandwich. "Okay well it's getting late. I'll take you guys home." Nickole said as she stood up and yawned.

"I guess so," Eddie said, "My parents are probably wondering why I'm so late."

"Yeah, I need to go too," Don responded.

"Then I'll drop you off on my way home." Nickole grabbed her keys and, followed by Don and Eddie, started down stairs.

"Oh, Nickole," Ann called after her, "call me when you get home, okay?"

"Okay, will do." Nickole answered, and then Don shut the door.

The three got back into the car. This time Eddie was in the front seat with Nickole. Don was leaning forward so that he could see into the front seat. Once again, Nickole felt crowded. "So, Eddie, how are your parents?" She asked, making small talk.

"They're doing okay. Nothing much has really been going on."

"Yeah, I guess so." Nickole agreed.

"Oh, hey look at that." Don spoke up from the backseat. They were driving by the old Miller house which had been abandoned for over 30 years. The house looked particularly spooky, standing out in the middle of a field in the twilight and was always the perfect target for vandals and made a good subject of a spooky story. "That place looks like its seen better times."

"Oh yeah, that old place," Eddie started in, "I used to go there all the time when I was little."

"I don't like it at all," Nickole stated keeping her eyes on the road, "I wonder if they're ever going to tear it down?"

"I hope not," Eddie replied, "I really like that place."

"Why?" Nickole asked looking over at Eddie, "Why do you care about that run-down house?"

"I don't know; I just like it, that's all."

"Okay, whatever you say," Don said as they turned the corner into Eddie's neighborhood and the Miller house was became hidden by a row of houses.

They pulled up to a one-story house, and let Eddie out. "See you Tuesday!" He said, and then he went inside. Nickole and Don drove on down the street, and then back on the highway heading toward their neighborhood.

There was complete silence until Don finally spoke up. "So, Nickole, what are you doing next Friday night?" Don asked nervously.

"Umm, I don't know," Nickole mumbled looking a little confused, "what are you doing?"

"Nothing, really, I was just hopping that... maybe we could," he pause for a second, "Maybe we could go to dinner of something?"

"Dinner, you mean like a date?" Nickole replied sounding shocked.

"Yeah, like a date." Don was getting a little anxious now.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I guess. Well, yeah! Do you...would you like to go to dinner with me, next Friday night, on a date?"

"That sounds great!"

"Really, so you'll go?"

"Yes, of course I'll go!" Nickole answered to Don's relief.

By this time they were at Don's house. Nickole knew it well. Her house was just around the corner. She and Don's parents had been very close ever since Nickole's family moved in to the neighbor hood 13 years ago. This was one of the reasons why she and Don were such good friends. They had always played together when they were little; they had grown up together and shared many childhood memories. As soon as Nickole got home, she ran up to her room, picked up the phone, and called Ann.

"Hello?"

"Ann, this is Nickole."

"Oh, hey Nickole, how did it go?"

"It went fine, but listen to this...after Don and I dropped Eddie off he asked me out!"

"Eddie asked you out?!?"

"No…Don asked me out!"

"What? Don asked you out?!?"

"Yes, he did, and I said YES!"

"You said YES?!? I clearly have a bad connection. It just sounded like you said that Don asked you out and you said yes."

"He DID...I mean I DID...I mean we DID!!!"

"So wait, I don't need to get a new phone? You really did say that?"

"Yes, I did."

"You _must_ be joking!"

"I'm not. I'm dead serious."

"Wow."

"What does 'wow' mean?"

"I don't know what to say."

"I know!!"

"But I thought Eddie would be the one to ask you out." Ann asked, sounding confused.

"Why would Eddie ask me out?"

"Well, I don't think he came to my house tonight to be with me or Don."

"He just wanted to hang out with us."

"_You_...He wanted to hang out with _you_!"

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because...I heard him talking to one of his friends…he said something about you...and about asking you out."

"Oh, man...Not good,"


	3. Chapter 3

It was Tuesday, and once again the AHC students were busy running around from class to class, turning in homework assignments and projects, and anxiously awaiting their grades from the past week. Nickole was a little nervous about seeing both Don, with whom she had a date, and Eddie, who wanted to ask her on a date, on the same day at the same campus in the same room at the same time!!! Nickole pulled into the last remaining parking space in the campus parking lot. When she got out of the car she saw Ann waiting outside of the main building for her. Nickole came over and sat down next to her. "So, Ann, what did you do weekend?"

"Nothing...How was yours?"

"Uneventful. Unless you count washing the car,"

"Did you talk to Don much?"

"Not since he asked me out. I was kinda hoping that he'd call."

"Yeah, well you'll see him today."

"Him and Eddie,"

"Oh, yeah, well..."

"I just know something is gonna happen. I know Eddie really likes me, but so does Don; and I like Don...not Eddie"

"Let's just be optimistic. Now..."

"How can I be OPTIMISTIC?"

Just then the Spanish II class came out of the classroom.

"Oh, look..." Ann said with a forced smile, "It's time for class"

The class was to long for Nickole's taste. Eddie was sitting behind her and had been kicking her chair the whole time. Then when the teacher left the room he would lean forward and try to start a conversation. Don, who was sitting across the room, didn't seem to notice this. After class all four of them, as usual, headed over to study hall together. Don sat on one side of Nickole and Eddie was on the other. Ann was forced to sit across the table from them. It was Don who broke the silence, "So, about Friday night, I was wondering what time you wanted me to pick you up?" Foreseeing trouble, Ann sank down into her chair and pulled out her British Lit book.

"Umm... 7, I guess." Nickole answered trying her hardest not to look at Eddie.

"Great, I know there's a good movie playing at 8, so, perfect!"

"You three are going to a movie?" Eddie asked look from Nickole to Ann, and then back to Nickole.

"No, it's just me and Don." Nickole answered hesitantly.

"Yeah, it's a date." Don added. Ann sank lower into her chair.

"Really," Eddie replied.

"Yep," Don said looking Eddie straight in the eye. "Got a problem with that?" By now Ann was half-way under the table.

"Umm, guys..." Nickole said looking a little scared, but they ignored her.

"No, I don't have a problem. Do you?" At this Ann peeked out from behind her book.

"No. But you act like you do."

"Well if there's one thing I have a problem with it's you."

"Oh really..." Don said in a rising tone,

"GUYS, STOP!" Nickole cut in bringing the argument to a screeching halt.

Ann looked out from behind her book and over at the clock, "Uh...come on, Nickole, we have to go to British Lit." she finally spoke up.

"Yeah, see you Thursday, Eddie."

Nickole and Ann followed by Don, left study hall and walked into Mrs. Brown's classroom. They took their usual seats behind Addie and Austin. Nickole didn't say a word all through class. She didn't say anything after class either. But when they were walking to the car she finally spoke up, "I can't believe they said all that!" she exclaimed.

"What, you mean that thing back in study hall?"

"Yeah, whatever that was."

"Eddie is just jealous that Don has a date with you."

"You really think so?"

"_Think _so, I _know_ so."

"Well, _I'm_ not so sure. They're just acting stupid."

"Isn't that what boys do when they get jealous?"

"ARG, I DON'T KNOW!!!" Nickole yelled slamming to door of her car.

When Nickole got home she didn't even bother opening any of her books to study for finals. She just sat there thinking about what had happened in study hall. Did two boys fight over her, or had that been a dream? All she knew was that she had a date with Don, and she was looking forward to it.


	4. Chapter 4

"That was the shortest Wednesday ever!" Nickole exclaimed as Ann got in to the car with her on Thursday to go to class.

"I guess. Why do you say that?"

"I just really don't want any trouble. I mean, I never realized that Eddie liked me, at least enough to get jealous over, until now."

"I tried to tell you."

"Please don't remind me."

"Okay, but how are you going to handle them today?"

"I have no idea, no earthly idea!"

"Well, let's not worry about it now. Tell me about what you and Don are going to do tomorrow night." Ann commanded curiously.

"I think were just going to dinner; I can't believe it's going to be tomorrow night."

"That sounds like a good first date."

"It doesn't seem like it's our first date."

"Yeah, you guys have been hanging out for so long; I don't see what's different."

"It doesn't seem different," Nickole paused, "but I think it will be different when it's just the two of us."

They pulled into the campus parking lot and parked underneath one of the oak trees, and went into Spanish class. Today, Eddie did not kick Nickole's chair, and he did not even say a word. They just sat there; that is until Don walked into the classroom. He smiled over a Nickole, and she smiled back. As she did, she felt a hard kick to the back of her chair. Ann had seen what happened, and turned around to give Eddie a nasty look. Eddie acted like nothing had happened. Don took his usual seat across the room. The silence that followed was only broken by Sra. Ramirez's call to order, and her command to "Clear your desks, and get out a clean sheet of paper."


	5. Chapter 5

"Can we play a game?" a little voice called to Nickole as Christine, Nickole's five-year-old sister, walked into her room. Christine looked like a much smaller version of Nickole. She had the same bright red hair, and fair skin.

"No we can't. I'm going out tonight. Remember?" Nickole said as she rummaged though her closet for something to wear.

"Aw, but I wanted to play Candy Land," Christine pouted.

"We can play later; right now I have to get ready."

"Okay, but later I'm going over to Ashley's."

"Don't worry; we'll play Candy Land soon." Nickole reassured her. "Why don't you go play with Mary or Buttons?" Nickole suggested, referring to the family's cats.

"They're hiding under the couch," Christine replied,

"Well go get them out!" Nickole said shooing Christine out of her room. She ran back to her closet and started pulling out clothes and shoes. She changed clothes three times before she settled on an outfit and went down stairs where her parents were. Christine was sitting on the floor trying to coax the two cats out from under the couch.

"You look nice," her mom, Mrs. Dennis, commented as Nickole walked into the living room.

"Yes, you do." Mr. Dennis agreed, "What time did I say you are to be home?"

"Eleven o'clock," Nickole answered a little annoyed, "I know; you've asked me ten times already," she finished with a little smile at her mom, and then walked out of the room.

Nickole looked down at her watch, "Seven o'clock," she read aloud. It was Friday night, but not just any Friday night. Tonight, Don and Nickole were going on their date. Nickole was standing in her entry looking out the window at her empty driveway. Don should be coming to pick her up any minute now. She couldn't believe it was all ready Friday, or that it was seven o'clock. Then a pair of headlights lit up the driveway. Nickole recognized Don's truck, and walked out of the front door and onto the front porch. "Hey, there, are you ready to go?" Don asked as he got out of the truck and walked over to hug Nickole.

"You will have her back by eleven, young man?" Mr. Dennis interrupted sticking his head out of the front door. Nickole laughed.

"Yes sir, I will," Don responded shaking Mr. Denis' hand, and then Mr. Denis went back inside.

"Yep, so where are we going?" she asked, returning back to the conversation.

"I thought we'd go to dinner at On the Border and then go to the movies."

"Well, shall we?"

"Okay, after you," Don walked around to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door for his date.

"Thank you," Nickole replied getting into the truck.

Don walked back around to the driver's side and got in. The evening was already off to a great start. Nickole sat in the truck silently thinking. Even though they had been friends for most of their lives Nickole was excited that they were dating. She couldn't wait to see how the rest of the date would go. Don was also excited. He had always like Nickole as a friend, and he hoped that they could maintain their friendship whether dating worked out or not. In a matter of minutes they were at the movies, and in the middle of a conversation.

"So, yeah back in February when we did the Valentines, I only got two made because Patrick kept messing me up," Don said referring to one of the Teen Group's service projects.

"What was he doing?" Nickole asked with a little giggle.

"Well, when ever I turned my back for just one second he would do something like adding glitter or a sticker in a strange place," Don told her laughingly, "A few times he even glued some shut."

"That's Patrick for you," Nickole agreed.

"Yeah well, I eventually got smart and kept a close eye on him. It took me a while though."

"So, are you going to movie night tomorrow?"

"No, I have basketball."

"Oh," Nickole was disappointed but asked politely, "who are you playing?"

"Some guys from up-state. Now shush," Don teased, "the movies starting."

They picked their conversation back up when the movie was over. Once they were out of the theater they drove over to the restaurant, where they talked even more. They talked about the Teen Group events, their families, and their friends. Nickole knew that they would be talking about this stuff whether they were on a date or not; this made her feel more comfortable, so she relaxed and enjoyed the evening. "Do you remember the last year at the swing dance, how Joy was practically all over you?" Nickole asked tauntingly,

"Yeah, well, she wasn't nearly as bad as Eddie was with you!"Don replied matching her wit.

"Please, don't remind me!"

"You brought it up."

"I guess I did. Why did I do that?"

"Don't look at me! I don't know what goes on in that brain of yours."

"Thanks," Nickole replied; Don smiled.

"We'll figure out a way to help each other out this year," he suggested.

"I'd like that," Nickole agreed

They really did talk about all the things they normally talk about, but it was different, it was just the two of them. They were having such a good conversation, that it lasted all the way back to Nickole's house. A few minutes later, at 10:55, they were pulling into Nickole's driveway, and Don was helping her out of the truck. "Just in time, now I don't have to worry about your dad killing me for not getting you home on time." he said jokingly. "So, did you have a good time?" he asked as he walked her to the door.

"Yeah, I did. Did you?"

"Yes, I did. I'm glad that you did," Don leaned now and kissed Nickole on the cheek. She smiled back up at him. "Goodnight," he said.

"Goodnight," she whispered, and then she walked through the door and back inside the house. Mr. Denis was sitting in the living room reading his newspaper. He looked up at Nickole as she came inside, then over at the clock. He looked back at Nickole and nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

Nickole pulled up to Ann's house and honked the horn twice. Ann cam running out of the door and yelled back to the house "See you later, Mom!" And then she got into the car, smiling with a huge grin at Nickole, "So how did it go? Tell me _all_ about it!"

"Last night?" Nickole teased Ann.

"Yes last night, are you stupid?"

"Chill out. It was great!"

"So you had a good time? What did you do?"

"It was the classic dinner-and-a-movie, you know."

"It sounds like you had fun. Speaking of Don, where is he?"

"What do you mean?" Nickole asked confused,

"I thought he would be riding with us,"

"Uh, no, he is at a basketball game."

"Oh, that's too bad."

When they arrived at the church where movie night was being held Nickole and Ann went inside and saw that a lot of their friends were there. When they walked though the doors, a girl with a clipboard came over to them, "Hey guys!"

"Hey, Angelica," Nickole greeted her,

"I need you to sign in," Angelica said handing the clipboard to Nickole.

"So who all is here?" Ann asked looking over Nickole's shoulder at the clipboard.

"Let's see..." Nickole's eyes scrolled down the clipboard looking at all the names, "Addie's here; so are Austin, Allen, and then you of coarse. That takes care of the A's." she paused looking further down the list, "...Becca, Bryan, Billy..." she kept reading until Ann interrupted her.

"...basically everyone; is Eddie on there?" Ann asked. Nickole flipped the first page of names back so she could see the rest,

"Yep." she said shortly,

"Great," Ann replied sarcastically, "Well, I'm going to go talk to Addie."

"You do that," Nickole said, and then turned her attention back to Angelica, whose expression of confusion, quickly turned into a cheesy grin,

"What's up?" Angelica asked taking the clipboard back from Nickole,

"Nothing... really," Nickole replied, and then a loud voice came from the main room.

"Everybody, get you're snacks and find a seat. We're going to start the movie soon," Mrs. Collins' voice yelled over the chit-chat of the teenagers. Everyone was sat down on the floor in front of a large white sheet on which the move was projected. Nickole and Angelica sat down next to Lisa and Rebecca who were gossiping yet again.

Nickole looked across the room and saw that Ann was sitting with Addie, and a few people over from them was Austin sitting next to...Eddie. When Nickole looked over at them, he met her gaze and smirked. Nickole quickly turned her attention back to the movie, which was very lame. She looked over at Ann, who was looking at the projection with eyes glazed over.

"Are you okay?" Angelica asked thumping Nickole on the arm.

"Yeah...I'm fine," She looked back to where Eddie had been sitting; he wasn't there.

"Hey," a voice came from behind her, and she turned around.

"Eddie," she started, surprised. Eddie sat down right behind her. Once again Nickole glanced around at Ann trying to make eye contact, but Ann looked half asleep staring blankly at the sheet.

"Oh, hey I'm going to get something to drink; do you want anything?" Angelica asked standing up.

"No thanks," Eddie said,

"I'm fine," Nickole said nervously. When Angelica left, Eddie moved and sat next to Nickole.

"So what have you been up to lately?" Eddie asked looking over at Nickole,

"Um, nothing really," Nickole lied,

"Really, because I heard that you and what's-his-face went out last night." he smirked, Nickole looked over at him,

"We, Don and I, did."

"Oh, that looser."

"Whatever," Nickole said turning her attention back to the movie, "Just get over yourself."

Eddie, choosing to ignore Nickole's last comment continued, "You know, I really like you."

"Eddie, please don't," Nickole started, getting annoyed.

"If these people weren't here..." he tried to hold her hand, "I'd..."

"Stop!" Nickole whispered moving her hand and standing up, "I think I'm going to leave." she stated, and then she walked out, leaving Eddie sitting there. On her way to the door, she ran into Angelica, "Could you tell Ann to get a ride home with Addie or somebody, for me, please?"

"Umm, okay. What's wrong?"

"I just have to go home." Nickole said feeling very flustered, and getting out her keys she walked out the door. The whole way home her phone kept ringing, and every time the caller ID showed the same name: EDDIE. Nickole just ignored it until she finally turned the phone off.


	7. Chapter 7

It was Tuesday; all the students were back at AHC, including Nickole, Don, Ann, and... Eddie. Nickole had picked up Ann, and the girls were on their way to the campus. "So, what happened to you Saturday night?" Ann asked,

"I just wasn't feeling well," Nickole lied. Once they were in Sra. Ramirez's classroom, they got out their books and started to review the pages they had read over the weekend. Then, Don walked in, "Hey, Nickole," he leaned down and gave her a hug.

"Hey, how did the game go?" she asked,

"Not so well; we lost."

"Oh, that stinks, but at least this way you can go to the Swing Dance." Nickole said trying to shed positive light on the situation.

"Yeah, I guess it does. When is that by the way?"

"Umm, I think it is next weekend," Nickole guessed,

"Okay, then I'll be there. In fact, I'll pick you two up."

"Thanks, that'll be great."

"Yeah, thanks." Ann agreed. With that, Don went over to his table and took his seat. No sooner had he done this than Eddie walked into the room. He looked over at Nickole, who looked over at Don. Ann sank down into her chair.

"So, why did you walk away from me the other night?" Eddie asked, taking his usual seat behind Nickole. Don looked over at Nickole, who rolled her eyes. Luckily, Sra. Ramirez and the other students came in to the classroom before anybody could say anything else.

After class, Nickole and Ann practically ran to study hall where they were joined by Don; Eddie was no where in sight. The three walked into study hall and signed-in. Then a tall blonde girl, who was in their chemistry class, came over to the table and sat down next to Ann. "Hey, guys!"

"Hey, Norah," Nickole greeted her, "What's up?"

"Oh, not much, just studying for British Lit." Norah said holding up a large book.

"We are too," Don said with a huge smile.

"Yeah...Man, British Lit is hard." Ann joined in.

"Me too," Norah said. The three of them spent the rest of their study hall time with Norah studying for British Lit. After study hall, Nickole, Ann, and Norah went to British Lit. , and Don went to Mr. Holt's pre-cal class. On his way over to the class, Don noticed Eddie standing over next to Nickole's car. Don stopped and started to walk back to the portable building to tell Nickole, when Eddie started to walk away from the car. Once again Don stopped, and watched. Eddie was heading back to the main building, apparently going to his Speech and Debate class. He had not noticed that Don had been watching him. Once Eddie was back inside the building, Don walked on to his class. He had an uneasy feeling about what Eddie was up to.


	8. Chapter 8

Saturday night was here, the night of the Teen group's annual swing dance. Nickole had been planning for it all day. She had her outfit all picked out and was getting dressed when the phone rang, Nickole picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Ann."

"Hey, what's up?"

"I was just gonna let you know that you don't have to give me a ride tonight, I've got one."

"Okay, who are you riding with?"

"Addie and her family are picking me up, I'm on their way, and I know you have to leave early."

"Yeah, I do. I have to get there early so I can help set up."

"That's what I thought. So I'll see you there; It's gonna be fun!"

"Yeah, I guess," Nickole replied with a little let down,

"What's wrong?"

"I just don't want Eddie to be all over me like he's been before, with Don and all."

"Yeah, but things have to be normal at teen events as far as you and Don go. You know… teen code of conduct?"

"I know, and we're going to be normal. It's just Eddie that I'm worried about."

"Don't worry about it," Ann reassured her, "I'll keep an eye on him if you want."

"Thanks, but you ought to have a good time, and not be distracted by my problems."

"Oh come on!" Ann exclaimed, "The only reason I go to this dance is to hang out with you and Don, besides who's gonna ask _me_ to dance?"

"There are plenty of guys there."

"Yeah I guess, anyway, I have to go; see you tonight."

"Okay, bye," Nickole said and then hung up the phone. She walked over to her closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and polo. Nobody ever dressed up for the swing dance. Then, yet again, her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID, "Eddie," she muttered under her breath, and then hit the ignore button. Just a second later, the voice-mail alert popped up on her phone. Nickole pick up the phone, called her mail box, and listened to Eddie's message.

"Hey, Nickole, this is Eddie. I'm just calling to let you know that I'm out of the debate tournament, now, and that I am looking forward to seeing you tonight at the swing dance. At least, I think your going. Aren't you? Oh well, I got to go. See you tonight. Bye." Then the mechanical voice came back on.

"To erase the message press seven; to save it, press three, for more messaging options press four."

Nickole pressed seven. She could not believe that Eddie was still calling her even thought she had told him to stop. Just then, the phone rang again. "If it's Eddie," Nickole said aloud, "I'm gonna scream!" she yelled at the phone. To Nickole's relief it wasn't Eddie; it was Don. She answered the phone, "Hello,"

"Hey, it's Don."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Oh, not much; I was just wondering what time I needed to pick up you and Ann."

"You can pick me up at six, but Ann has got a ride with the Johnson's."

"Okay, six it is."

"Great, I can't wait."

So by 6:15 Don and Nickole were on they're way to the swing dance. The swing dance was one of the most popular social events the teen group held. It always had the best turn-out. Not only did people go to dance, but some would come just to watch. Before the swing dance, classes were held on how to do certain dance steps so that the teens wouldn't be completely clueless when they got out onto the dance floor. And, of course, the teen code of conduct was heavily enforced by the adult chaperones. Naturally, the guys would ask the girls if they wanted to dance. The down side to this was that the girls were not allowed to say no. This would prove to be a problem for Nickole. This meant that every single time Eddie will ask her to, she will have to dance with him.

"Hey, I was wondering," Don said, starting up a conversation in the car, "if you had heard from Eddie lately?"

Nickole sighed, "Yes, actually he just left me this really weird message on my phone. Something about getting out of debate and that he was looking forward to seeing me tonight."

"He isn't bothering you, is he?"

"I don't know. He bothers me some times, but it's not really that bad."

"So you don't mind all the phone messages?" Don asked sarcastically.

"Well, yes. I do mind those, and I guess I do mind it when he bugs me in person...Okay, yes he is bothering me." She finally admitted.

"Do you want me to take care of him?" Don asked holding up a fist.

"Yes," Nickole said laughing at Don's joke, "but I don't want you to get into trouble."

"Okay, I'll try." Don continued with his joke.

When they arrived, the decorating was already underway. Angelica, Becca, and Anita were decorating the buffet tables with different pirate inspired center pieces. Allen and Austin were setting up the DJ's table to look like and old pirate ship. And in the kitchen it was full speed ahead. Mrs. Collins was instructing all the volunteers on which cheeses to cut up, and which to save for later, while Mrs. Samuels went around taking a few pictures of the decorating comity hard at work. Don helped Allen and Austin, and Nickole walked over to help Angelica, Becca, and Anita. "Hey, guys," Nickole said as she joined the three girls.

"Hey, Nickole," Anita greeted her.

"I see we're using the leftovers from last year's play," Nickole observed referring to the pirate decorations.

"Yeah, the budget's tight this year," Becca explained.

"Hey, these are perfectly good decorations," Angelica cut in with her usual cheesy grin.

"Yes they are." Nickole agreed. Once the girls finished with the decorating they had time to spare, so they decided to help the guys finish fixing the DJ's table. Nickole was looking over Don's shoulder when she asked sarcastically "How hard is it to attach this cardboard pirate ship to that table?"

"NIININININANANA" Don responded; Nickole and the others laughed, "Are you going to help or what?"

"No, I just thought I'd stand here and watch you," Nickole retaliated.

"Ha-ha, that's very funny." In no time, the seven of them had the cardboard pirate ship secured to the table, and just in time, because the DJ, as well as other members of the teen group, was arriving. "Patrick!" Don greeted, "So, you're our DJ. Oh boy am I gonna have fun with this!"

"What are you talking about, Don?" Patrick asked looking confused.

"Patrick, Patrick, Patrick," Don said slapping him on the back, "I still owe you for all those valentines back in February." Nickole, who had been listening to the conversation, giggled as she remembered what Don had told her about what Patrick had done to his valentines.

"Oh, those," Patrick said as an expression of understanding came to his face. Nickole was looking around at all of the other teens who were coming into the gym. She noticed several faces that she recognized.

There was Sarah, Annie, and Melissa, and a few others who she didn't recognize. She looked around some more. Don and Patrick were still arguing over who messed up the first valentine, so Nickole walked over to the doors where she could see more people. She saw Lisa, Rebecca, and Morgan who, as usual, were discussing the latest gossip, and judging by the expressions on their faces it was especially juicy. Then she saw Ann coming through the doors with Addie. They were followed by Addie's younger sister Lynne who was deep in conversation with her best friend, Lynne Richards. Ann waved over at Nickole and then went back to talking with Addie, and that's when Nickole saw him. It was Eddie, and he had seen her too. Nickole turned around and walked back to where Don had been standing, but he wasn't there any more. In fact, Nickole couldn't see Don anywhere.

"Hey, Nickole," Eddie said from behind her. Nickole turned around and looked at Eddie.

"Hey."

"Did you get my message? I left you one this afternoon after I got out of debate."

"Um, yeah I got it," Nickole answered looking around. She saw Ann and made eye-contact.

"So I was wondering..." Eddie started, "If you'd like to..."

"Hi guys!" Ann interrupted, "Nickole I need your help with something for just a minute."

"Okay...Eddie, I'll talk to you later." And then she and Ann walked off toward Addie.

"Took you long enough," Nickole said to Ann.

"Well, I was trying to discrete."

"Next time could you try being a little faster."

"Sure, whatever, where's Don?"

"I don't know...I think he might be helping Patrick get all of his records out of his truck," Nickole said as Ann looked around.

"There he is," Ann said pointing back toward the door. Sure enough Don and Patrick were walking through the doors carrying the boxes of Patrick's records and CD's. Nickole and Ann walked over to the table to help the guys unload the music.

"Where did you go?" Nickole asked Don.

"I went to help Patrick unload his car. Why?" Don answered putting down a large box.

"Nothing," Nickole lied.

"Eddie was here." Ann corrected her.

"Oh, was he bothering you?" Don asked looking back at Nickole.

"No," Nickole lied again, and again Ann corrected her,

"_Yes_. What's wrong with you?" she asked looking at Nickole,

"Nothing, it's just not that big of a deal."

Just then, Mrs. Collins walked over and climbed up on to the stage to make announcements. "Okay, is everyone ready to dance?" she asked, and there was a resounding cheer from the teens, "Sounds like it! Alright then, DJ..." she said queuing Patrick to start the music. "Guys find your girls!"

At that, Don turned to Nickole and asked in a very gentlemen like fashion, "May I have the dance?"

Nickole laughed, "Yes you may." And taking his outstretched hand he led her onto the dance floor.

Neither of them were very good dancers, but they managed to do all the basic steps. They did steps, jigs, and dips. Eventually they tried a flip, and even went so far as a Figure 4. As far as Nickole was concerned the evening was going very well; she danced with Don, and even Allen, who was a little shy about dancing. She also saw that Ann was having fun dancing with Austin. Everything was great until Nickole stopped for a break over at the buffet table. While she was getting a drink, Eddie came over and stood behind her. "Want to dance?" he asked.

Nickole jumped and whipped around, "Eddie, you scared me!" He just stood there waiting for her answer. Unable to decline, Nickole answered unenthusiastically, "Sure."

When they began to dance, Nickole looked over at Don, who had been watching them, and made eye-contact. Recognizing the signal, Don held up his hands, and one by one started putting a finger down, as he counted down ten seconds...5...4...3...2...1. And as the last finger disappeared into his fist, he walked out onto the dance floor toward them.

"May I cut in?" Don asked appearing at their side.

Finally one of the swing dance's rules played to Nickole's advantage; Eddie had no say in whether or not Don could cut in. It was up to Nickole, and so, of course, she said, "Yes you may." Then looking back at Eddie she added, "Um, thanks for the dance Eddie." Eddie looked at her, said nothing, and then walked away, so Don resumed the dance with Nickole. "Thanks," she said as they danced.

"No problem. If only you could do the same for me!" he joked.

"Don't blame me; Blame the rules."

"I'll do that."

As the night came to a close, Patrick whipped out on last song, _The Cotton-Eyed Joe_. Nickole, Don, Ann, Addie, and Austin were all in a row together.

_If it hadn't been for cotton-eye Joe_

_Id been married long time ago_

_Where did you come from, where did you go?_

_Where did you come from cotton-eye Joe?_

"I love this!" Nickole yelled over the music to Don and Ann as they skipped around with the rest of the teens.

"Aren't you glad I brought the CD? Sherry tried to hide it the bathroom, though." Don laughed.

_He came to town like a midwinter storm_

_He rode through the fields so_

_Handsome and strong_

_His eyes was his tools and his smile was his gun_

_But all he had come for was having some fun_

"I should have helped her!" Ann exclaimed, "I can never get this right!"

"Oh come on, you know you like it!" Addie yelled back as she dragged Ann along. Austin just shook his head. Nickole was having a great time. This would definitely be a night to remember.

_If it hadn't been for cotton-eye Joe_

_Id been married long time ago_

_Where did you come from, where did you go?_

_Where did you come from cotton-eye Joe?_


	9. Chapter 9

Once class was over, on Thursday, every one was ready to leave. Sra. Ramirez had piled the pop quizzes on hard today. Don and Nickole walked to study hall together with Ann following close behind and Eddie a few feet behind her. Don and Nickole stopped under the big pear tree and sat down at the picnic table. Ann went inside to get them signed in. "So, how do you think you did on the pop quiz?" Nickole asked.

"I don't know. I hope I did okay." Don answered shrugging. There was silence, then…

"Hey, Nickole," Eddie called from behind her in a taunting voice.

"Just ignore him," Nickole whispered, not looking around.

"What?" Eddie's voice came again, "you don't like me any more?"

"Leave her alone." Don said standing up.

"This has nothing to do with you," Eddie said walking over slowly toward them.

Nickole sat frozen to the bench not knowing what to do. "Just leave us alone. If you have a problem with us, then you'll just have to get over it." Don continued.

"Get over it? You want me to get over it?!? I don't _have_ to do anything you tell me to do." Eddie spat turning bright red. He was now standing right behind Nickole who stayed rooted to the spot.

"Just stay away," Don warned.

"I don't think so," Eddie replied, and he grabbed a hold of Nickole's arm and pulled her off of the bench.

"Eddie, what are you..." was all she could say before Don threw the first punch. Eddie pushed Nickole out of his way so hard that she fell down. Then they were fighting.

Everyone came pouring out of study hall despite Mrs. Grant's best attempts to keep them all inside. Ann was running out to help Nickole up when she saw what was going on. Eddie and Don were still fighting. The fight was moving around the building and to the back. They were falling all over everything, a pile of bricks, tree stumps, and tree roots, trying to get a good shot in at each other. Then Mrs. Grant, Mrs. Brown, and Mr. Holt, who had seen the commotion from his car, ran over to where the boys were fighting and pulled Don off of Eddie.

"What do you boys think you are doing?" shouted Mrs. Brown clearly appalled by two of her best student's behavior, "Both of you go to Mrs. Bradley's office now!"

Don and Eddie were taken to Mrs. Bradley's office by Mr. Fredric, and Mrs. Grant sent everyone, including Mrs. Brown's American History class, back in to study hall. Ann and Nickole were then last ones back into the building.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ann asked looking concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"What happened?"

"One minute Don and I were just talking, and then Eddie came up to us and started saying weird stuff, and then he grabbed my arm, and that's when Don hit him," Nickole summarized.

"Wow."

"You've got to stop saying that," Nickole said, a little disgruntled.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble they're going to be in?"

"Yeah, I know."

Mrs. Grant came walking over, "You girls need to go back inside. Nickole, are you sure you want to stay here? You can go home if you want to."

"No thanks, Mrs. Grant, I don't want to miss class. Anyway, I have to give Ann a ride home."

"You don't drive?" Mrs. Grant asked turning on Ann.

"I can drive…I just don't have a car...yet."

"Okay, well then stay, but if those boys give you any more trouble come and tell me."

"Yes ma'am," Nickole replied, and she and Ann went back into the building.

After class Nickole and Ann walked out to Nickole's car, where they met up with Don. He looked extremely upset. "What happened?" Nickole asked,

"What do you mean?" Don replied,

"What happened when you went to Mrs. Bradley's office?"

"Well, since I started the fight, I was asked to leave campus."

"But you're still here..."

"Yeah, well you _are_ my ride home."

"Oh yeah,"

"So, what happened to Eddie?" Ann cut in.

"He had to leave too," Don answered.

"We better leave before you get into any more trouble," Nickole said, and the three of them got into the car.


	10. Chapter 10

"So are you still coming over tonight?" Nickole asked Don over the phone,

"Yeah, as soon as I finish some homework for my Mrs. Brown,"

"That sounds like fun."

"Sure is." Don answered sarcastically, "So, I'll probably be over about seven or seven-thirty."

"Okay, see you then." Nickole said, and then she hung up the phone. It had been a long week; she was very glad it was Friday. Between the fight, finals, and filling out college applications, Nickole felt exhausted. Looking forward to graduation, Nickole had been flipping through the college brochures of all her favorite schools, and later that night Don would be joining her. Nickole was sitting upstairs on her bed, when she looked over at her computer. The instant messenger had popped up on the screen.

**aggiedaddysgurl:** hey

**xxswimchick08xx:** hey whats up

**aggiedaddysgurl:** nm here, just studying

**xxswimchick08xx:** yeah dons coming over later to study with me

**aggiedaddysgurl:** sounds fun

**xxswimchick08xx:** it will be...

**xxswimchick08xx:** we're also gonna look at college brochures

**aggiedaddysgurl:** i should do that before graduation

**xxswimchick08xx:** graduation day is in a week

**aggiedaddysgurl:** i know, i'm looking around

**xxswimchick08xx:** lol

**xxswimchick08xx:** aren't you goin to a&m?

**aggiedaddysgurl:** i've been accepted but i'm still looking

**aggiedaddysgurl:** i like to keep my options open

**xxswimchick08xx:** i gtg

**xxswimchick08xx:** i need to get ready and fix some dinner for me

**aggiedaddysgurl:** where are ur parents and the munchkin?

**xxswimchick08xx:** parents are out of town for till Sunday, and Christine is at Grandma's.

**aggiedaddysgurl:** nice...well have fun

**xxswimchick08xx:** u too

Nickole signed off, and sat back down on her bed. It felt strange being alone in a house that was normally full of people. Don would be coming over soon, though. Unlike Don, who wanted to go to HBU, and Ann, who was born to go to A&M, Nickole had no idea where she wanted to go. She had sent in applications and had been accepted to many different schools. The problem was choosing one. Nickole continued flipping through the brochures of some of her favorite colleges. A few hours later, Nickole looked up as the doorbell rang. She ran over to her window and saw Don's truck in her driveway, and then she ran down stairs but stopped in front of the door. "Who is it?" she teased,

"That's a stupid question...it's Don."

Nickole opened the door, "I know!" she exclaimed and then let him into the house. "Do you want anything from the kitchen, water, soda or something?"

"No thanks, I'm fine."

"Okay, well I'm going upstairs to get the stuff. I'll meet you in the living room." Nickole stated. A few minutes later Nickole and Don were sitting on the couch thumbing through all the college booklets. "So we need two piles: schools you've been accepted too, and schools that I've been accepted too."

"Great, let's get started." Don said sitting down on the couch.

"Texas Tech...I didn't even apply...you?" Nickole began

"...applied...got in...I'm still thinking..."

"Okay, that's one for you." Nickole picked up another one, "Um...UT...I applied and got in."

"I didn't apply, so that's one for you."

"…A&M?"

"...applied...got in...Did you?"

"Yeah, I got in. So did Ann."

"I'm not surprised." Don laughed, "Isn't her whole family Aggies?"

"Yep… So any way..." Nickole started, but was interrupted when her phone started to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked down at it, "Great, It's Eddie."

"Here, let me talk to him." Don said as he attempted to snatch the phone away from Nickole.

"No, that's okay." she said holding the phone out of Don's reach. "Just ignore it." she finished and hit the ignore button.

They went back to sorting the brochures, but every five minutes Eddie would call back. Don was ready to answer the phone and yell at Eddie, when Nickole finally turned the phone off. Despite, turning off her cell phone, Eddie continued to call Nickole on her house phone. "You have got to be kidding me!" Don said in reaction as Nickole read Eddie's phone number off of the caller ID. "This is getting ridiculous!"

"You're telling me." Nickole said as the phone continued ringing. "He's too desperate."

"Yeah..." Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"It's probably our neighbor, Mrs. Nelson." Nickole said as she got up to answer the door, "She was supposed to came over and get her mail tonight." When she opened the door, to Nickole's surprise, it was not Mrs. Nelson standing on the front porch but Eddie. "Eddie, what are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd come by; I've been calling for the past hour."

"…umm…really?" Nickole asked, playing dumb.

"Yeah, I called you cell phone and home phone," Eddie explained, and then Don walked into the entryway.

Eddie looked at him shocked, "So this is why you weren't answering. You're with _him_!" He yelled angrily.

Don took a step toward Nickole, "Go away, Eddie." he said firmly.

"Oh, come on! You really want to do this again," Eddie started, "because, personally, I don't care."

Don start to lunge for Eddie, but Nickole put her arm out to stop him and then turned back to Eddie, "Why don't you just leave?"

"Because… I have unfinished business." Eddie told her, and then he reached out to grab her arm, but Don jumped in front of her. Then Eddie's fist collided with Don, who swung back. Within seconds, Eddie and Don were locked in combat.

"GUYS, STOP!!!" Nickole yelled, but it did no good. Eddie was now on top of Don, and was repeatedly hitting him. Nickole rushed over to help Don, but Eddie, giving Don one final hard blow to the head, grabbed her, stood up, and pushed her up against the wall.

"You know, you could have had me, but you chose him." he breathed pointing at Don, still lying on the floor. "Come on, let's go."

"GO? I'm not going anywhere with you!" Nickole said struggling to get free, but Eddie held her firmly to the wall.

"Yeah, as if you had a choice… See, here's the thing...if I can't have you, nobody can." Eddie forced Nickole out of the house, and into his truck; then sped away, leaving Don lying unconscious on the floor.


	11. Chapter 11

Hours later, Don woke up still lying on the Dennis' living room floor. The sun was shining in through the window, and his phone was buzzing in his pocket. He sat up and rubbing his head took the phone out to look and see who was calling. No one was calling, but he had a text message from a number that he recognized as Eddie's. Don opened his phone to read the message.

"_No police...if you call them I'll know"_

Don shut the phone. "Great," he said to nobody but the two cats, curled up in the patch of warm sunlight. Then he got up and walked out the front door. Looking around, he wasn't sure what he expected to find. None of the neighbors were out. There was nothing Don could do at Nickole's any more; so he got in his car and started to drive to Eddie's. On his way, he tried to call Nickole on her cell phone, and then Eddie on his phone. As Don expected, there was no answer on either. Just as Don was putting his phone back into his pocket it rang. He pulled it back out. INCOMING CALL: ANN. He answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, where are you?" Ann, but not waiting for an answer she went on, "I've been trying to get a hold of Nickole all morning. I've called her cell _and_ her house, and she's not answering! I thought she might be with you. You did go over to her house last night, right?"

"ANN, slow down!"

"Sorry."

"Yes, I was over at Nickole's last night."

"Then where is she?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Eddie came over."

"Oh no… Oh no no no no no no _no_! What happened?"

"He came, and left with Nickole."

"She went _with_ him?!?"

"Sort of…No not really,"

"He _took_ her?"

"Um, yeah,"

"WHAT?" Ann interrupted, "And you let him?"

"I tired to stop him."

"Oh no, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Listen can you meet me at my house? I just pulled in the drive way."

"Umm, yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can."

Don waited in his driveway; five minutes later, a little red car pulled up in front of him, and Ann got out of the driver's side. Don looked up in surprise, "Whose car?" he asked.

"Mine," Ann replied, "It's new, well pre-owned. That's what I wanted to show Nickole. Gosh, you don't look fine. Look at your face!" she said referring to the bruises, bloody nose, and busted lip. "He got you good."

"Did not," Don argued.

"Okay, whatever. So why haven't you called the police?"

"Eddie left me a message not to." He showed Ann the text message. "How will he know?"

Ann thought for a minute, starring at the message. "Eddie is a volunteer fire fighter; he has a police scanner in his truck."

"So, no police; then I've got to find her myself."

"I can help. Obviously, I know Eddie a little better than you do. I assume you already tried his house."

"When I was on the phone with you I drove by; no one was there: no parents or sisters …nothing."

"Great!" Ann said sarcastically, "I guess we should start looking around..." she started back, but Don wasn't listening. Instead, he was looking over her head at something in the distance.

"What?" Ann asked.

Don pointed, and Ann turned around. On the horizon you could see a cloud of black smoke. "What's burning?" Don asked, not taking his eyes off the smoke.

"I don't know," she paused "but it looks like it's coming from the Miller house."

Don paused for a minute then yelled "COME ON!!!" as he rushed back into his truck. Ann ran over to the passenger side and got in.

"What is it?" she asked anxiously.

"The Miller house...Eddie told us that he used to go to the Miller house all the time when he was little..."

Ann interrupted, "It's the perfect place for him to hide, and if you wanted to get rid of..." her voice trailed.

"He's burning the place down, with Nickole in there!" Don finished accelerating. When they turned the corner out of the neighborhood, they saw it. The miller house was up in flames, and a person, unmistakably Eddie, was running for his truck. "Call 911!" Don ordered as he threw on the breaks and jumped out of the truck. He started to run toward Eddie, but Eddie was already leaping into his truck and, once again, speeding away. Ann came running over to Don.

"The fire department is on its way, and I asked for an ambulance." She panted,

"Good," Don said, and then he started to run over to the house.

"Where are you going?" Ann called after him as he ran across the field,

"I've got to get Nickole!" He yelled.

Once he reached the house he ran inside, and started to look around. There were flames everywhere, but Don kept going farther into the house. Then he saw Nickole, lying unconscious on the floor of what used to be the living room. He ran over, scooped her up, and started carrying her back out of the house. Don came sprinting out of the house just in time. The second both he and Nickole were safely out of the house, the old roof caved in. Once they were farther away from the house, Don put Nickole gently down on the ground; she was waking up. She opened her eyes, looked up at Don, and smiled. Don looked back at her, and then he bent down and kissed her, really kissed her. In the distance, they heard sirens. A fire truck and an ambulance arrived on the scene.

Two EMT's came running over to where Don and Nickole sat. "We're gonna need some room." one of them said to Don. Don stood up and took a few steps back, while the paramedics helped Nickole onto a stretcher. Then, Ann came walking over.

"I'll take your truck back to your house, and get my car. You ride in the ambulance with Nickole." she said, and holding out her hand she added, "I'll need your keys." Don reached in his pocket and handed her the keys, then replied,

"Thanks,"


	12. Chapter 12

"Well, it looks like you are a very lucky girl, Ms. Dennis." the doctor announced looking up from his clipboard. "We're just going to keep you over night to treat you for smoke inhalation and a concussion."

"See, guys," Nickole started, "nothing but a few bumps and bruises." she declared.

"More like a big bump to the head," Ann muttered under her breath.

"That's great," Don said to the doctor, "thanks."

"No problem," Doctor Hansen replied, "Since the police are done talking to you, I recommend you get some rest. Just yell for the nurse if you need anything." he reminded them, walking out of the room. Nickole lay in the hospital bed looking highly frustrated.

"Why do I have to stay here over night?" she asked angrily, "My parents are supposed to be coming home tomorrow!"

"Speaking of your parents," Ann said standing up, "I'm gonna go try calling them again." She too left the room.

There was silence for a minute then Nickole asked looking over at Don, "So did you really run into that house?"

"Yep," Don replied walking over to the bed.

"Stupid."

"What?" Don asked, confused.

"You shouldn't have done that."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, but you could have gotten hurt." she argued beginning to get upset.

"It's okay," he said reaching out to hold her hand comfort her, "I'm fine."

Down on the ground floor, an unexpected visitor entered the hospital. He walked up to the information desk and asked for the room number for Nickole Dennis. "Room 318," the receptionist told him. He proceeded to make his way to the elevator, which he took to the third floor. When the elevator doors opened, he walked slowly down the hall. He passed room 306... 308...

"Thanks," Nickole said taking Don's hand.

310...312...

"Don't worry about it." Don replied, "I'm just glad you're alright."

314...316...

Eddie walked into room 318. Nickole sat up in the bed, "Eddie! What..." Eddie stopped right inside the door. Just as Don turned around, Eddie pulled out a gun, and...

BANG!!!

Don fell to the floor; Nickole screamed; Eddie bolted from the room. "Somebody HELP!!!" Nickole yelled; a nurse ran in, took one look at Don lying on the floor, and called for the doctor and orderlies. The medical team rushed into the room, and they took the unconscious Don into surgery as the nurse restrained Nickole. A second later, Ann came back into the room. When she saw Nickole sobbing with the nurse she started to ask,

"What...?" but stopped when she saw the blood on the floor. "Oh my gosh!" She stood frozen, staring at the blood in shock.

"The young man who was in here..." the nurse spoke up, "somebody shot him." Ann stared at her in disbelief, but then looked at Nickole.

"Was it Eddie?"Ann asked; Nickole nodded.

"Eddie?" the nurse asked, "The boy who burned down the Miller house." Ann looked at her perplexed. "News travels fast." the nurse explained.

"Umm, yeah… Could you go call the police and let them know that he was here? I'll stay here." The nurse left the room and Ann sat down next to Nickole who was no longer crying. "What happened?"

"Eddie just came in here and shot him," Nickole said calmly, "… like it was no big deal, and then the doctors came in and took Don away."

"They probably took him to surgery. It's going to be okay." Ann tried to comfort Nickole. "Let's just wait for the doctor to come back." Ann said. So, she and Nickole waited.

It seemed like the longest wait either of them had ever waited. Two hours later, the doctor came back in; Nickole sat up, and Ann stood up off the bed. "Is he going to be alright?" Nickole demanded to know.

"Yes," the doctor answered, "the bullet entered right below the right collar bone. It caused fairly minor damage, although there was a lot of bleeding. We were able to remove it easily."

"So can I see him?" Nickole asked.

"He should be waking up now. So I don't see why not, but are his parents here?"

"Oh, I had better call his mom." Ann said, "You go ahead."

The doctor showed Nickole to a room across the hall where Don was. He was sitting, propped up in the bed with his arm in a sling, "Hey," he greeted her quietly.

"Hey, yourself,"

"Where's Eddie?" Don asked looking around, as though expecting to see Eddie standing out in the hall.

"By now he's probably in the back of a police car." Nickole answered, taking a seat in the chair next to Don's bed.

Don slumped back upon his pillows, "Good."


	13. Chapter 13

"So, how do I look?" Nickole asked turning to show Ann the costume in its entirety.

"You look like a freak in a robe...how 'bout me?" Ann teased,

"The same," Nickole retaliated. Nickole and Ann were standing in the girl's dressing room, backstage. Today was the day; they were graduating. Ann had been helping Nickole get into her grown, and now they were onto the cap. "I think it goes on this side." Nickole said switching the tassel to left side of her cap.

"No, look, mine's on the right side." Ann argued,

"That's wrong,"

"So it goes on the left?" Ann asked switching the tassel,

"Right," Nickole replied,

"…right?" Ann switched the tassel back, confused, "Then yours is wrong."

"No," Nickole started, becoming frustrated, "You switch the tassel from left to right. So if you have it on the left side it is correct."

"Oh,"

Once they got both tassels on the correct sides, the girls walked out of the dressing room and waited backstage.

"There you are." Don, who had been waiting for Nickole, said walking over to her. "What took you so long?" His arm was still in the sling, but he managed to make it work with the gown.

"Tassels," Nickole replied; Ann laughed.

"Okay, Mrs. Bradley says that we need to go ahead and sit down."

"Is it time to start already?" Nickole asked looking at her watch, "Oh, wow, it is."

The three of them went into the main room and took their seats. All of AHC's seniors were anxiously awaiting the beginning of the ceremony. A few minutes later, Mrs. Bradley walked up onto the stage. "Hello and welcome to graduation ceremony for this year's seniors. Today is a very important day in the lives of these young people. Today the four years they spent in high school are finally paying off. Today they will be going out into the world as young adults. Today is their graduation day. I am proud to present to you, your Class of 2008!" Mrs. Bradley concluded her speech, and continued on with presenting the students with their diplomas. "Nickole Dennis," she announced. Nickole walked up on stage and took her diploma. There were many cheers from the crowd coming from her parents, Don, and Ann. Nickole smiled; she officially graduated!

After the ceremony, there was a big party over at the campus in the main building. All the seniors and teachers were there. There were drinks, snacks, and music. Everyone was having a great time. Even Mrs. Brown was having a blast. Don and Nickole were standing over by the snack table. "I can't believe it!" Nickole exclaimed.

Don looked over at her, "What?"

"We graduated! We are now officially no longer in high school."

Don laughed, "Yeah. It is kinda funny."

"I mean, now we have our whole future to look forward to. There's college, and jobs." Nickole continued.

"Speaking of our future," Don started, but he paused and looked at Nickole then continued. "We've been friends for our whole lives," he hesitated, "and I've loved you every single day." He pulled out a ring, and got down on one knee. Nickole stared at him in utter amazement. "I want us to be together for the rest our lives; Nickole Dennis, will you marry me?"

Nickole stood there in her graduation robe looking down at Don. She could only think of one thing to say, "Yes," she smiled, "yes I will." Don put the ring on her finger. Then he stood up, and kissed her. He kissed her right in front of all the teachers and other seniors. Mrs. Brown saw, and started to walk over to break them up, but Sra. Ramirez, who had been listening, stopped her. Just then Ann came running over,

"Are you guys crazy?" she asked exasperated breaking them up.

"Look," Nickole said showing Ann her ring excitedly.

"Ahhhh!" Ann screamed, and jumped backwards, "that's a...that's a...that's a..."

"It's an engagement ring." Don cut in. Ann looked at him, then to Nickole, then back at Don, and then back to Nickole.

"Yeah!" she said; Don and Nickole laughed. "Wow, what a day." Ann sighed, and the walked away smiling.

"It has been a crazy day." Don agreed,

"More like a crazy month." Nickole said. Don put his arm around her and kissed her again.

Then she and Don, hand in hand, went home, leaving the AHC campus for the last time on graduation day.


End file.
